2011 Top Advisor Rankings: Hawaii

Ranked #1: Mike Strada ♦ While Mike Strada likes "the minutiae" of investing and planning, the big stuff is just as important. "I'm sort of a vision guy, trying to see where the world is going and trying to get there first," he says. Strada, 64, believes commodities will be key in the near future, so he has been buying timber, coal, industrial-metals (no gold or silver) and natural-gas companies.He also sees interest rates rising at some point and has been recommending Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, or TIPS.A former teacher who races outrigger canoes, Strada is a big proponent of explaining to clients exactly what he is doing. "We believe education is at the forefront of whatever we do," he says. The approach seems to resonate with women: About 70 percent of his clients are female. "I use the jargon, but I explain it," he says. "It makes it really simple." --Lauren Foster